By Christine Espinoza
Interim coach Mario Sanchez summed up Racing’s draw against Gotham best. “It’s a great way to end the season. We got better every game, and I think we were starting to see what the team’s capable of. I’m really, really proud of the team. They have continuously showed their character.”
One would have to agree with Sanchez after Gotham, though having better possession of the ball simply could not overtake Racing’s resilient defense in the first half. Defensively, Ebony Salmon would make the most compelling attempts to score only to come up short.
Unfortunately, in the second half, Carli Lloyd would do what she does best and find the back of the net after a cross from Elizabeth Eddy at the 53rd minute. Fortunately for Racing, Gotham’s handball in the box would earn them a penalty shot. Cece Kizer easily put the strike past Kailen Sheridan’s net, cutting Gotham’s celebration short. After the game Kizer remarked “I like taking penalties…The Girls on the field were confident in me. They said to go up and take my shot, and I buried it.”
On them missing the post season, Gemma Bonner added “I think there’s lots of positives to take from the latter part of the season. We’ll look to come back stronger next year.”
With the way they picked up points in the latter part of the season, there is no reason to doubt Bonner’s assertion. Racing has showed a remarkable resilience in being able to come back from behind and giving teams, particularly Gotham a lot of grief. The Ladies in Lavender have won the hearts of many in their hometown proven with their steady growth in home game attendance numbers and have put NWSL’s best critics on notice by taking them by surprise particularly in the last few games of the season. This team is just getting started.